Basic Flow Measurement

September 23, 2004

Contents
1) Introduction 2) Types of Flows

3) Basic Requirements for Flow Measurement

4) Definition of Quantities to be Measured 5) Types of Measurement

6) Types of Flow Meters

7) Selection of Flow Meters 8) Flow Measurement Information 9) Questions & Answers

September 23, 2004

Introduction
Since 1989 there were at least 23 distinct type of technologies available for the measurement of flow in closed conduit. Flow meters selection are part of the basic art of the instrument engineer, and while only handful of these technologies contribute to the majority of installations. And wide product knowledge is essential to find the most cost effective solution to any flow measurement application.

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Types of Flows
Reynolds Number
The performance of flowmeters is also influenced by a dimensionless unit called the Reynolds Number. It is defined as the ratio of the liquid's inertial forces to its drag forces. The Reynolds number is used for determined whether a flow is laminar or turbulent. Laminar flow within pipes will occur when the Reynolds number is below the critical Reynolds number of 2300 and turbulent flow when it is above 2300. The value of 2300 has been determined experimentally and a certain range around this value is considered the transition region between laminar and turbulent flow.

Or
s = Mean Fluid Velocity, - (Absolute) Dynamic fluid Viscosity v = Kinematics Fluid Viscosity ( = /) = Fluid Density

L = Characteristic Length (Equal to diameter, 2r if a Cross Section is Circular)

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Types of Flows

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Basic Requirements for Flow Measurement

Ability to Calibrate Ability to Integrate Flow Fluctuation

Easy Integration with Piping System

High Accuracy High Turn-Down Ratio Low Cost Low Sensitivity to Dirt Particles Low Pressure Loss No Moving Parts

Resistant to Corrosion and Erosion

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Definition of Quantities to be measured

Volume Flow Rate The definition of volume flow rate is the volume of fluid that flows past a given cross sectional area per second. Therefore,

V = A
V = Volume Flow Rate A = Cross Section Area = Velocity of Fluid Standard SI Unit is m3/hr Other Common Units : 1L/s = 103 cm3/s = 10-3 m3/s 1gal/s = 3.788 L/s = 0.003788 m3/s 1cf/min = 4.719x10-4 m3/s

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Definition of Quantities to be Measured

Mass Flow Rate The definition of mass flow rate is the number of kilograms of mass flow that flows past a given cross sectional area per second. Therefore, m = V = A m = Mass Flow Rate = Specific Density V = Volume Flow Rate A = Cross Section Area = Velocity of Fluid

Standard SI Unit is kg/hr

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Types of Measurement
Direct Rate Measurement Required large device if the volume rates are high. And in case a smaller device is used then the measured values will not be accurate. Fluctuations in the measuring values due to the opening/closing of valves during start/stop of the measurements. Devices that measure the volume/mass of the fluid and the timing may not be concurrent.

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Types of Measurement
Direct Rate Measurement

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Type of Measurement
Indirect Rate Measurement For many practical applications, indirect measuring techniques are employed using various kind of principles. Here are some of the basic working principles: Differential Pressure Force on Bodies in the Flow

Heat Transfer
Corriolis Force Magneto-Inductive Frequency of Vortices Ultrasonic

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Type of Flowmeters
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Correlation Method Corriolis Elbow Tap Elbow Meter Electro-Magnetic Flow Nozzles Flow Tube Nutating Disk Orifices Oval Gear 13. Rotary Vane

14. Swirl
15. Target 16. Thermal Dispersion 17. Turbine 18. Ultrasonic Doppler 19. Ultrasonic Transit Time 20. Variable Area

21. Venturi Tube

22. Vortex 23. Weir & Flume

10. Pitot Tube

11. Positive Mass 12. Reciprocating Piston
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Type of Flowmeters
Industrial Flowmeter Usage

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Type of Flowmeters
Basic Equation

Orifice, Nozzle & Venturi Differential Pressure

v = Fluid Velocity Q = Volume Flow Rate A = Cross Sectional Area of Pipe m = Mass Flow Rate k = Constant h = Differential Pressure p = Density of Fluid

The (lateral) pressure exerted by an incompressible fluid varies inversely with the square of the speed of the fluid.
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Type of Flowmeters
Basic Equation A) Liquid Volumetric B) Gas Volumetric

Orifice, Nozzle & Venturi Differential Pressure

QA = Flow (m3/hr) QB = Flow (Nm3/hr) at 0 0C & 1.013 bara QC = Flow (kg/hr) S = Specific Gravity (Air = 1) D = Density at actual conditions (kg/m3) A = Pipe Internal C.S.A (cm2) Tf = Actual Temperature (0C) Pf = Actual Pressure (bara)

C) Liquid/Gas Mass

K = TORBAR Coefficient (See Table)

The orifice, nozzle and venturi flow meters use the Bernoullis Equation to calculate the fluid flow rate by using the pressure difference between an obstruction in the flow.

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Type of Flowmeters
Bernoullis Equation
For Pitot Tube: P + 2 + gh = Constant

If no change in the elevation, gh = 0 = z

And point 2 is stagnation point, i.e.

2 = 0

P = Static Pressure = Density of Fluid v = Velocity of Fluid g = Gravitational Acceleration (9.81m/s2) h = Height
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Type of Flowmeters
Thermal Mass
Q = WCp (T2-T1) and therefore W = Q/Cp (T2-T1) Q = Heat Transfer W = Mass Flow Rate Cp = Specific Heat of Fluid T1 = Temperature Upstream T2 = Temperature Downstream

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Type of Flowmeters
Thermal Mass

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Type of Flowmeters
Thermal Mass

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Type of Flowmeters
Turbine
Working Principle Reluctance The coil is a permanent magnet and the turbine blades are made of a material attracted to magnets. As each blade passes the coil, a voltage is generated in the coil. Each pulse represents a discrete volume of liquid. The number of pulses per unit volume is called the meter's K-factor. Inductance A permanent magnet is embedded in the rotor, or the blades of the rotor are made of permanently magnetized material. As each blade passes the coil, it generates a voltage pulse. In some designs, only one blade is magnetic and the pulse represents a complete revolution of the rotor. Capacitive Capacitive sensors produce a sine wave by generating an RF signal that is amplitude-modulated by the movement of the rotor blades. Hall-Effect Hall-effect transistors also can be used. These transistors change their state when they are in the presence of a very low strength (on the order of 25 gauss) magnetic field.
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Type of Flowmeters
Turbine

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Type of Flowmeters
Turbine

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Type of Flowmeters
Turbine

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Type of Flowmeters
Electromagnetic
The operation of magnetic flow meters is based on Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. Magflow meters can detect the flow of conductive fluids only. Early magflow meter designs required a minimum fluidic conductivity of 1-5 microsiemens per centimeter for their operation. The newer designs have reduced that requirement a hundredfold to between 0.05 and 0.1.

E = BDV/C
E = Induced Voltage B = Magnetic Field Strength

D = Inner Diameter of Pipe

V = Average Velocity C = Constant

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September 23, 2004

Type of Flowmeters
Electromagnetic
The magnetic flow meters coil can be powered by either alternating or direct current. In AC excitation, line voltage is applied to the magnetic coils and as a result, the flow signal (at constant flow) will also look like a sine wave. The amplitude of the wave is proportional to velocity. Addition to the flow signal, noise voltages can be induced in the electrode loop. Out-of-phase noise is easily filtered, but in-phase noise requires that the flow be stopped (with the pipe full) and the transmitter output set to zero. The main problem with ac magflow meter designs is that noise can vary with process conditions and frequent re-zeroing is required to maintain accuracy. And as for DC excitation designs, a low frequency (7-30 Hz) dc pulse is used to excite the magnetic coils. When the coils are pulsed on the transmitter reads both the flow and noise signals. In between pulses, the transmitter sees only the noise signal. Therefore, the noise can be continuously eliminated after each cycle.

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Type of Flowmeters
Electromagnetic
Today, DC excitation is used in about 85% of installations while AC types claim the other 15% when justified by the following conditions: When When When When air is entrained in large quantities in the process stream. the process is slurry and the solid particle sizes are not uniform. the solid phase is not homogeneously mixed within the liquid. the flow is pulsating at a frequency under 15 Hz.

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Type of Flowmeters
Electromagnetic

E = Induced Voltage B = Magnetic Field Strength D = Inner Diameter of Pipe V = Average Velocity C = Constant

C is a constant to take care of the engineering proper units

E = BDV/C

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Type of Flowmeters
Electromagnetic

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Type of Flowmeters
Corriolis
The principle of angular momentum can be best described by Newtons 2nd Law of angular motion and the definitions using these following notations: Newtons 2nd Law of angular motion states that = I and defines that H = I and since by definition I = mr2 Then = mr2 and then H = mr2 Since = /t then becomes = mr2 * /t and solving mass flow rate, m/t we get m/t = /r2 also divide H = mr2 by t then H/t = m/t * r2 H = Angular Momentum I = Moment of Inertia = Angular Velocity Y = Torque = Angular Acceleration r = Torque of Gyration m = Mass t = Time
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Type of Flowmeters
Corriolis

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Type of Flowmeters
Corriolis

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Type of Flowmeters
Corriolis

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Type of Flowmeters
Positive Displacement
Positive displacement meters provide high accuracy, 0.1% of actual flow rate in some cases and good repeatability as high as 0.05% of reading. Accuracy is not affected by pulsating flow unless it entrains air or gas in the fluid. PD meters do not require a power supply for their operation and do not require straight upstream and downstream pipe runs for their installation. Typically, PD meters are available 1 up to 12 in size and can operate with turndowns as high as 100:1, although ranges of 15:1 or lower are much more common. Slippage in the flowmeter is reduced and metering accuracy is therefore increased as the viscosity of the process fluid increases.

The process fluid must be clean. Particles greater than 100 microns in size must be removed by filtering. PD meters operate with small clearances between their precision-machined parts; wear rapidly destroys their accuracy. For this reason, PD meters are generally not recommended for measuring slurries or abrasive fluids. In clean fluid services, however, their precision and wide rangeability make them ideal for custody transfer and batch charging. They are most widely used as household water meters. Millions of such units are produced annually at a unit cost of less than US$50. In industrial and petrochemical applications, PD meters are commonly used for batch charging of both liquids and gases.

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Type of Flowmeters
Positive Displacement

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Type of Flowmeters
Positive Displacement

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Type of Flowmeters
Vortex 1. 2. 3. Types of Working Principles Vortex Shedding Vortex Precession Fluidic Oscillation (Coanda Effect)

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Type of Flowmeters
Vortex
Vortex shedding frequency is directly proportional to the velocity of the fluid in the pipe and therefore to volumetric flow rate. The shedding frequency is independent of fluid properties such as density, viscosity, conductivity, etc., except that the flow must be turbulent for vortex shedding to occur. The relationship between vortex frequency and fluid velocity is: St = f (d/v) Q = AV = (AfdB)/St Q = fK St = Strouhal Number f = Vortex Shedding Frequency d = Width of the Bluff Body A = Cross Sectional Area V = Average Fluid Velocity B = Blockage Factor K = Meter Coefficient

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Type of Flowmeters
Vortex
The value of the Strouhal number is determined experimentally, and is generally found to be constant over a wide range of Reynolds numbers. The Strouhal number represents the ratio of the interval between vortex shedding (l) and bluff body width (d), which is about six. The Strouhal number is a dimensionless calibration factor used to characterize various bluff bodies. If their Strouhal number is the same, then two different bluff bodies will perform and behave similarly.

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September 23, 2004

Type of Flowmeters
Vortex Shedding
St = Strouhal Number f = Vortex Shedding Frequency d = Width of the Bluff Body A = Cross Sectional Area V = Average Fluid Velocity B = Blockage Factor K = Meter Coefficient Q = AV = (AfdB)/St

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Type of Flowmeters
Vortex Shedding

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Type of Flowmeters
Vortex Precession

Vortex Precession

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Type of Flowmeters

Fluidic Oscillation (Coanda Effect)

1.

Fluidic Oscillation (Coanda Effect)

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Type of Flowmeters
Ultrasonic
Ultrasonic waves travel in the same manner as light or microwaves however being an Elastic waves, they can propagates through any substance like solid, liquid and gases. And by utilizing the properties of ultrasonic waves, clamp on flowmeters with unique feature of being able to measure fluid flow in the pipe externally was developed. Generally, ultrasonic flowmeters works in 2 different kind of principles:

1)

Doppler Effect Ultrasonic Flowmeter The Doppler Effect Ultrasonic Flowmeter uses reflected ultrasonic sound to measure the fluid velocity. By measuring the frequency shift between the ultrasonic frequency source, the receiver and the fluid carrier. In this the relative motion are measured. The resulting frequency shift is named the Doppler Effect.
Transit Time Difference Ultrasonic Flowmeter With the Time of Flight Ultrasonic Flowmeter the time for the sound to travel between a transmitter and a receiver is measured. This method is not dependable on the particles in the fluid.
September 23, 2004

2)

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Type of Flowmeters
Ultrasonic

Upstream Sensor

Kdt Vf = TL
1 K Average Velocity on C.S.A D T x x sin2f (T0 - )2 Average Velocity on Propagation Path

Cross Sectional Area D2 Q= x 4

Q Cf

/2 T1 T2

/2

Downstream Sensor

Q = Flow Rate D = Inner Pipe Diameter K = Conversion Factor of Average Velocity f = Incident angle into liquid T1 & T2= Transit time T0 = Transit time between sensors when flow is at rest (T1+ T2 )/2 = Transit time in pipe walls and sensors = T = T2T1 Note that ultrasonic waves are carried with the motion of fluid
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Type of Flowmeters
Ultrasonic

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Type of Flowmeters
Ultrasonic

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Selection of Flowmeters
Ultrasonic Fluid Measuring Media Gas X Electromagnetic X Differential Pressure Vortex

Vapor
Slurry Control

X
X X -40 to 200 C None Large

X
-20 to 120 C -1 to 2MPa None Large

X X -40 to 600 C -0.1 to 42MPa Yes Large

X X -10 to 200 C 5MPa Yes Large

Application

Monitor Supply Temperature

Operating Condition

Pressure Pressure Loss Rangeability

Bore
Installation Condition Upstream/Downstrea m Piping Works Explosion Proof Accuracy Performance
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13 ~ 6,000mm
10D/5D Not Required 0.5 % of Rate

2.5 ~ 300mm
5D/2D Required X 0.5 % of Rate

25 ~ 3,000mm
10D/5D Required 2.0 % of FS

4 ~ 100mm
7D/3D Required X 1.0 ~ 3. 0 % of Rate

Velocity Range

-32 to 32m/s

0 to 15m/s

0.3 to 4m/s
September 23, 2004

Flow Measurement Information

Useful links: a) b) c) d) e) http://www.iceweb.com.au/Technical/flow_measurements_info_notes.htm http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/49.html http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/49_530qframed.html http://www.torbar.co.uk/calcdata.htm http://thcentral.com/fluiddynamicscalcs.htm

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Questions & Answers

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The End

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September 23, 2004